HR Tech at play
We have been seeing development in technology such as big data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, internet of things, bots, augmented reality and similar such digitization possibilities. Has HR been able to use any of these tools while attracting talent, assessing their potential and evaluating their fitment? Have we started predicting retention of the key staff, improving insights from the talent market and fine-tuning talent attraction strategy based on these insights?
Scores of administrative tasks are being automated. Shouldn’t an organization use HR Tech to schedule interviews with candidates, hold video interactions for screening, enable them to transact and communicate with the organization? Similarly for training, development and other talent management practices, there is a score of possibilities for the HR team to use their strengths in conducting strategic tasks and automate administrative or operational tasks.
Traditional Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is passé now because it largely focuses on keeping records of the past events. Our world of mobility and apps has made all of us – candidates, as well as the folks serving in the organization, take actions when prompted to do so. We have to make our systems keep up with the current time and appealing to all stakeholders of the business.
We can strengthen employer branding by leveraging social media and various professional networks. The way we interact with passive candidates and build a talent pipeline can be molded using technology. 2019 offers many opportunities of HR Tech and organizations would take advantages of new technology.
Focus on Commitment
Globally, senior leaders have been paying attention to rewards and recognition, learning and development, employee benefits, health, and wellness. In spite of the large investment of time, money and efforts, employee engagement numbers are moderate at the best.
Organizations have been contemplating how they can win the commitment of their employees and occupy a prominent place in their hearts. Leaders know, the feeling in the employee’s heart towards the organization determines the productivity and retention.
Given the economic situation that we face today, the social norms around us and the rise of millennials in the workforce, leaders have to actively participate in instituting the culture of agility, genuineness, transparency, and collaboration at their workplace. The life experiences of the leaders and the younger people are hugely different. Hence, the senior people need to understand, the things appreciated by their younger colleagues are different from what they valued in their youth. They will require to learn to appreciate the current situation and free themselves from the baggage of their experience.
Soft power needs to be the main plan of leadership development in the year. Right from the first-line supervisors to the senior team, winning the team’s commitment is going to be the key focus in 2019.
Redefining HR
Like operations, HR in many institutions has predominantly become a bunch of activities. Within the lifecycle of an employee, there is a need to engage, develop and leverage human capability. Practically speaking, most of these are to be carried out by the line managers. They require to play fair in the team, identify and recognize the talent of the team members, build and nurture a relationship with each team member. All of these are the most important HR functions!
HR has to enable the line managers in engaging and developing the team members. They have to help managers define performance goals, recognize superior performances and develop capability of their team members. They have to build an employer brand and strengthen it further.
Most HR teams today spend a lot of their time in managing administrative tasks of recruitment, attendance and leave management, salary hikes, employee question handling, salaries, and incentives. They have to outsource these economical value-adding tasks to competent third-party experts who will not only carry out these assignments efficiently but also bring their insights to the policy and improve them further.